This invention relates generally to dispensing apparatus and, more particularly, to a gravity feed dispensing bin apparatus. This apparatus allows bulk material that is loaded through an inlet to flow under the force of gravity to an outlet from which the product is dispensed.
Traditionally, gravity feed bins for dispensing bulk materials are used to dispense a wide variety of materials having a range of sizes and aggregate make-ups as diverse as hardware components, e.g., nuts and bolts, to food, e.g., nuts, cereals, pastas, coffee (either beans or ground), dried soup mixes, candies, spices, and the like. Generally, the bins are comprised of enclosures having an inlet at an upper end utilized to fill a cavity, an outlet at its lower end utilized to dispense the material, and a flow control device located between the upper and lower openings for controlling the amount of materials being dispensed. In operation, as the material is being dispensed gravity pulls the remaining material in the cavity towards the lower end to replace the dispensed material. These types of bins generally include a downwardly curving inner wall that forms a chute to channel the dispensed materials into a receptacle adjacent the outlet.
Examples of prior art gravity feed bins can be found in U.S. Pat. No. 4,903,866 to Loew and U.S. Pat. No. 5,437,393 to Blicher et al, and NewLeaf Designs' Vita-Bin.RTM..
Unfortunately, these prior art systems have many shortcomings. They are labor intensive to make since pieces have to be cut and glued together, they are hard to clean because of comers in glued joints, they do not fit well into modular systems with each other, and they cannot be easily disassembled for cleaning without the use of tools. Also, parts of the device for biasing the movement of the output door were required to be passed through the food. The result of all this is that most of the prior art devices are not qualified for certification by NSF International, which is an independent laboratory for certifying food processing equipment.
Another problem with the prior art devices is that if a customer is dispensing either a heavy bulk material or the customer dispenses a large amount of the bulk material it becomes burdensome to hold onto the receptacle. When this occurs a customer might stop dispensing the bulk material sooner than they might desire, which results in a loss of some of the sale. Another result might be that the customer loses control of the bag and spills some of the bulk material onto the floor, which causes a mess that is unsafe, unsanitary, and unsightly.
What is needed is a bulk food dispensing apparatus that is easily manufactured, assembled, and cleaned, which also assists customers when dispensing either heavy bulk material or a large volume of the bulk material.